Persona 4 Fan-fiction - Shadows of the Heart
Episode 1: Return to the Rabbit Hole
It had been a few months since the Investigation Team were all together, and most of them buzzed with excitement for the special upcoming vacation. It would be the last chance for the closely knitted group of friends to see each other before college began for some of them, and they planned to make the most of it.
Risette called in a few favors and had managed to score a condo at a nice resort in the mountains for their reunion, but at the cost of her vacation becoming a public announcement to her fans. She shrugged it off, because she was more interested in seeing her senpai and spending time with them. The brunette girl giggled for the umpteenth time that day and swiveled around on the bar stool she sat upon. Rise had wanted to arrive at the resort early to make sure everything was absolutely perfect before the others got there, so now she waited eagerly.
She had big plans in terms of activities for the group, including a devious plot to finally see Naoto in a swimsuit. It in the time that Rise had known the brilliant detective, she still had never seen the girl wearing anything of the sort, so the idol vowed that it would happen during that vacation. The resort she had rented the condo from was a small and relatively private location that offered an outdoor public hot springs, so swimsuits were a must.
While Rise thought about the shy detective, she paused as realization crept on her. She had been thinking about Naoto a lot lately, ever since the few weeks they had spent close together during one of the detective's cases. It had involved a rather nasty stalker who had continuously threatened by sending mail that he would personally take Rise's body and ultimately her life, and Rise could think of no one better to solve the case and catch the stalker than Naoto.
The enigmatic Naoto spent night and day with the idol during a European tour and the two couldn't help but grow closer. Naoto reached a point where she opened up to Rise, but just before really expressing her feelings, the detective had again snapped a lid over her heart and distanced herself emotionally from Rise. The idol had been wracking her brain ever since, trying to understand what exactly had happened, but Naoto was very good at hiding her heart. Although the two had not spoken casually since the case closed, Naoto still accepted Rise's invite to the resort for the group's reunion.
The brunette girl had her suspicions on what might be going on with the detective, but she also knew Naoto well enough to keep her silence until she had obvious proof. If she was right, then she didn't want to risk spooking the shy girl into distancing herself even more. A small sigh escaped Rise as she leaned forward on the counter with an elbow, her thoughts completely absorbing her focus. She didn't notice the lobby door open behind her nor the quiet footsteps that approached, so when someone cleared their throat she whirled around in surprise and successfully knocked the bar stool off balance.
Idol and chair toppled to the floor with a startled cry, but a familiar pair of hands caught Rise before she hit the ground completely. Her knees were bruised, but she was spared a smarting headache. Her light brown eyes met a thoughtful blue gaze and Rise couldn't stop her smile. "Naoto-kun! It's great to see you again," the idol greeted happily as she got to her feet with a steady hand from the shorter girl.
The detective showed a rare smile before she pulled away from Rise. "I see that I have arrived a bit ahead of schedule. Have Yu-senpai and the others showed up yet?"
The idol shook her head in reply, trying to ignore the way her chest tightened when Naoto had immediately pulled back. "I got a text from Yu-senpai around twenty minutes ago and he said that he should be here soon with Yosuke-senpai. The others are taking a later train... Why did you get here so early?" Rise asked as she stood the bar stool back up on its legs.
"Ah, well I happened to be nearby on a job, but my part of it is complete. There will be no interruptions this time around," Naoto answered with a nod.
A heavy silence quickly fell between the two girls and the detective tugged the bill of her hat lower to avoid meeting the gaze of the idol. Rise inwardly sighed. It seemed that for some reason, Naoto continued to maintain a certain emotional distance from Rise, but the brunette decided to not let it affect the way she treated her friend. She gave Naoto a familiar and sincere smile while motioning to the bar stool beside her, reclaiming her own seat. "We've got some time before everyone else gets here, so would you like to hear about some of my plans for our vacation?"
The detective gave a nod in response while sitting down beside her, blue eyes focused on Rise but yet still avoiding eye contact.
The rest of the group reached the resort shortly after, instantly filling the lobby with cheerful voices and laughter. The son of the Inaba Junes store manager approached Rise with a grin and he leaned against the counter while running his fingers through his bangs. "So, Rise-chan... found yourself a boyfriend yet?" Yosuke asked, wagging his eyebrows at her.
The idol didn't have time to reply before Chie took him down with a precise kick to the abdomen. "God, Yosuke! You're not even here for five minutes, and already you're trying to hook up with Rise-chan?! How pathetic can one guy be?"
Yosuke could only groan in reply.
The fiery girl promptly took Rise by the arm and steered her away while she said, "Come on, let's go have a civilized conversation with Yukiko and Yu-san!"
"Y-you don't think a flying kick to the gut is uncivilized?!" Yosuke weakly argued from his place on the floor.
Rise couldn't hide her giggle at this exchange between her upperclassmen. She had missed them a lot, she realized, but she found herself watching Naoto more than anyone else. The detective remained sitting at the counter where Kanji had joined her, but she glanced at the brunette girl when she felt Rise's quiet gaze on her.
Their eyes met for a brief moment and Rise smiled just for Naoto. In a rush, the detective turned to stare furiously at the wooden counter-top while her mind raced with all kinds of crazy thoughts. Naoto had to again convince herself that she was simply reading too much into things and struggled to maintain her cool composure, but she couldn't deny the fact that her heart was pounding.
"Hey, Naoto, ya feelin' alright? Looks like somethin's buggin' ya," Kanji said while leaning closer to her out of concern.
She rubbed her eyes as she responded, "I'm fine. I'm probably just a bit exhausted from wrapping up my latest case, so please do not pay it any mind." The blonde boy arched an eyebrow at her and she shook her head as she rephrased, "Uh... everything's cool... man."
He gave a nod of approval before he was dragged away by a very excited Teddie, the odd bear in his human form and blabbering on about the public hot springs just behind the main building of the resort. A sense of relief washed over Naoto as soon as she was alone and she wondered to herself why she was so tense.
It was supposed to be a vacation, right? And these were her dear friends and fellow investigators, not hostiles. She gave herself a mental shake while standing up. It was a vacation, after all, and the small detective knew that she had to work more on loosening up. Being tense all of the time wasn't healthy anyway.
Even as she thought this, she caught those honey brown eyes watching her again and her feet had her shuffling towards the front doors of the lobby. When she heard someone ask where she was going, she replied without turning, "Just need some fresh air." A moment later and she stepped out into the gentle light of dusk.
Naoto took a deep lungful of air just as a mountain breeze caressed her face, and she wasn't surprised when she heard the door open behind her. "Rise-san, you didn't have to accompany me," the detective said, recognizing the footsteps that approached her from behind.
The brunette paused and commented, "I really don't know how you do that. How you always know it's me."
A wry grin touched Naoto's lips with her reply, "I remember the pattern of your footsteps, that's all."
Rise closed the remaining distance between them and smiled once their gazes touched. "Would you mind if I walk with you? I can show you around and take you to the condo I rented for all of us," the idol offered.
Naoto gave a nod in reply without a second thought. "Lead the way, Risette-sama!"
The two made their way along a path that curved around the main building before winding its way through beautiful cherry blossom trees and gorgeous flowers. Naoto couldn't help but be struck by the beauty of such a place, the awe on her face a very rare sight that Rise was happy she got to see.
As the girls approached the two-story building that Rise had rented, the brunette bit her lower lip in thought. "Say, Naoto-kun... would you mind if I ask you something?"
The detective froze on the spot, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. She met gentle brown eyes with fear filling her own and at a loss for words. Rise scuffed a toe against the smooth inlay rocks that formed the path for a moment before she finally dared to ask, "... What's been on your mind lately? Ever since you helped me catch that creepy guy in Europe, you've been acting sorta strange around me. Did I do something wrong?"
Of course Rise had a good idea about what exactly was on the sharp detective's mind, but she knew that it was dangerous to say it outright. For this sort of matter, approaching it at a different angle seemed more logical when it involved Naoto. The shorter girl was very intelligent, but she lacked knowledge about how to deal with her own emotions.
In answer, Naoto let out a heavy breath and shook her head. "No, you have done nothing wrong, Rise-san. It-it's me..." A slight tremble started to run through her, but she shook her head more vigorously as if denying something. "A-anyway, it doesn't really matter-"
"Of course it matters! I don't like it when something is troubling you..." Rise trailed off, biting her lower lip again because Naoto shook her head once more.
"It doesn't matter because nothing is wrong. Besides, you like Yu-senpai, don't you? I've seen the way you two look at each other, which logically can only mean one thing..." The solemn detective stepped towards the front door of the condo as she faintly whispered, "... Who am I to stand in the way of that?"
She had not intended Rise to hear that last statement, but the idol did hear it. Rise followed Naoto into the condo as she said, "Wait, Naoto-kun! What do you mean by that? There's nothing between me and Yu-senpai!"
They had both stepped beyond the doorway of the condo by this point, and the shorter girl whirled around. Her voice trembled as she said, "Yes there is. It's been obvious to all of us for a while now – you like him and he likes you. There's nothing wrong with that at all, Rise-san, so there is nothing wrong with me! Just leave it alone!"
Neither of the girls had noticed the stranger standing in the room with them due to their argument, but when she let out an angry bellow and charged towards them, Naoto instinctively reacted. The detective drew her small handgun but she didn't have enough time to aim. Instead she used it to pistol-whip the attacker across the face and heard a wet snap in reaction to her brutal blow, but it couldn't stop the momentum of the stranger's body.
Naoto was knocked backwards towards a large plasma TV mounted to a wall and she fell with a cry. She didn't crash into anything like she had expected because she just kept on falling. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was Rise frantically screaming her name.
The sky above had darkened by the time the rest of the investigation team were taken to the condo by a resort guide. Although neither Rise nor Naoto had appeared after their walk, most of the gang expected to find them waiting in the condo.
What they actually found quickly raised a flurry of questions and panic. The door of the condo stood wide open with a disturbingly thick trail of blood crossing the threshold and disappearing into the grass around the side. The resort guide asked the group to wait outside while he went in to check around. As he entered alone, Kanji had to be physically restrained by Yu and Yosuke.
The tall boy unleashed a colorful string of curses while Yu shouted over him, "Calm down! I know you're worried, we all are, but anger won't help anyone right now!" Kanji didn't stop cursing, but he did relax in their hold.
Eventually the resort guide stepped outside again and he said, "I didn't see anyone, but there are signs of a struggle. Please stay out here while I call the police..."
With that, he ran back down the path that led to the resort's main building and Kanji spat, "Like hell we're just gonna stand here!" Yu's calm grey eyes met the gazes of Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, and Kanji, and the close group of friends all nodded in unison. The boy then led the way to the ajar front door with Yosuke right by his side and the rest of his friends immediately behind them.
Upon entering the front room of the condo, the first details that jumped out at Yu were blood and broken furniture. He held up a hand to stop the others from entering right away so he could closely look around. The blood was concentrated near a wall where a large plasma TV was mounted, and it stayed relatively confined in that area before trailing towards the door. An expensive glass table lay shattered on the floor with an overturned plush chair on top of it, and drops of blood splattered the wall and across the cracked screen of the TV.
Yu's eyes narrowed and his heart missed a beat. Carefully he stepped into the room, being mindful to avoid contaminating the scene while getting as close to the TV as possible. "Yu-san... what are you thinking?" Chie faintly asked after she took in the sight of everything. He didn't reply, his eyes focused on a smear of blood along the edge of the broken TV. As he got closer, the smear revealed itself as a partial handprint, and his fingers flew for his cell phone.
"What the hell happened in here..." Yosuke muttered while Yu dialed the number for Dojima, his uncle in Inaba.
"I have a really bad feeling..." Yukiko whispered fearfully, her dark eyes fixated on the blank screen of the TV.
"Hello, Dojima? I know this is out of your jurisdiction, but we need your help... Rise-chan and Naoto-kun are missing..."
By the time local police responded to the resort, Yu and his friends were all standing outside of the condo, waiting to be questioned. Yu's conversation with Dojima had been very brief, but at the veteran cop's direction Yu had carefully collected a small sample of the blood pooling the floor and snapped a high resolution photograph of the bloody handprint. It wouldn't be as good as actually lifting the print, but it was better than nothing.
It had already been agreed between the friends that during the fight, Naoto and Rise had likely ended up within the strange world of the TV. They had questioned nearby guests of the resort, and one witness said that they had seen the two missing friends enter the condo around the time they had left for their walk. No one had noticed anyone leave though. Kanji had immediately tried to enter the TV, but something prevented him from entering at that location. They speculated that maybe it was due to the screen being cracked, but Teddie reminded them that they were also not in Inaba.
The longer that the police questioned the group, the more agitated some of them became. Kanji refused to cooperate with the cops at first, but after Chie pointed out that they were only trying to find Rise and Naoto, the blonde boy complied (though not without making sure everyone knew his opinion on doing so).
After an exhaustive marathon of questioning, the police finally released the friends and they were taken to another condo on the resort. Once they had gathered in the front room that bore an eerie resemblance of the damaged condo, they all remained quiet for a while. A heavy restlessness filled the entire room until Kanji let out a shout, "What the fuck are we gonna do!?"
Teddie prodded the smooth surface of the wall mounted TV as he muttered, "Maybe it won't let us through because we aren't in Inaba..."
"Then how do you explain Naoto-kun and Rise-chan vanishing like that?" Chie questioned.
Yu stood beside Teddie and studied his own reflection within the black screen, his hand brushing across the surface without any odd ripples forming. "Ted's right, they shouldn't have been able to get in from here, so maybe they were physically carried away from the resort," Yosuke suggested.
The grey haired boy turned to face his comrades as he spoke up, "Something about this entire thing feels off. I don't think they were both subdued and then carried off, someone would have seen something that suspicious. There are guests all over outside. I can't explain how just yet, but I have a gut feeling that they were pushed into the TV world..."
Kanji growled, "How the fuck did that happen, and how the fuck do we go in after them?! We can't just leave them in there alone!"
"And who did this in the first place?" Yukiko asked.
Silence followed these remarks.
Several ideas ran through Yu's mind until he decided on a plan of action. "We need to divide our forces," he said, drawing everyone's attention with the resolution in his voice.
"Split up?" Yosuke reiterated.
Yu nodded and laid out his idea for everyone to consider, "Yeah. I want to take this blood sample back to my uncle and see if he can link it to the suspect with a DNA search, and I want to try to enter the TV world. If we can't get in from here, we should be able to get in back in Inaba."
"I'm goin' with ya, then!" Kanji cut in.
Yu put up a hand so he could continue. "A few of us need to hang back here and seek more information on the suspect. That blood trail shows that whoever did this did not follow them into the TV, so they might be hanging around here even now." His intense eyes fell onto Yosuke, Yukiko, and Chie before he said, "I think it would be best if you three do some digging around here. Someone who left that much blood behind could not have gotten off of the resort without being noticed. Ted, Kanji, and I will go back to Inaba and get into the TV world to look for Naoto and Rise."
His words were followed immediately by nods and statements of approval from everyone present. Yu looked at Teddie and Kanji and said, "Come on, then! We'll catch the next train to take us back home!"
The small detective stirred to the sound of someone crying right beside her. Blue eyes fluttered open, and immediately afterward someone laid their head against her chest. "Oh, Naoto-kun! Thank God you're okay!" Rise sobbed, her teary eyes meeting Naoto's gaze. The shorter girl could feel the brunette trembling against her, and as Naoto sat up, she noticed blood staining the left sleeve of Rise's blouse.
"Rise-san, are you injured?" she asked while instinctively reaching towards the idol's arm.
Rise pulled it away while she muttered, "It's not that bad... But Naoto-kun, we're stuck. In the TV world."
Genuinely surprised, Naoto looked around them and took in several details she had missed. The room they were in was initially the same as the front room of the condo, but the atmosphere was thick and eerie. A quick glance outside of the window showed familiar fog, and Naoto again met fearful brown eyes.
Well, one thing at a time... Naoto thought while reaching towards Rise's bloody arm again. "Let me see your arm, please. Any injury should be taken care of as soon as possible, and I don't like to see you in pain," Naoto said softly, her sincerity touching her eyes. Rise sniffed and nodded, shifting around so she could hold her arm out to Naoto.
The blood appeared to be originating from her forearm, so the detective carefully rolled the ruined sleeve up. The torn fabric revealed several jagged cuts across the brunette's skin and she winced when Naoto uncovered the wounds. "How did this happen?" Naoto asked, a hand of hers dipping into one of her jacket pockets to retrieve her personal first-aid kit.
"Th-that girl... I jumped her after she pushed you into the TV, but she knocked me over a chair and I landed on the glass table..." Rise replied.
Naoto silently appraised the idol. Rise had a lot of courage and inner strength, and it sounded like she hadn't hesitated when Naoto was in trouble... The detective shook her head. Now was not the time to entertain such strange thoughts.
She held up a disinfectant spray as she said, "Brace yourself, Rise-san. This will sting a bit." The brunette sucked in a sharp breath when the solution made contact, but after the initial pain faded, Rise flashed that smile for Naoto. The shorter girl distracted herself by carefully placing gauze over the wounds, then wrapping up Rise's arm with a length of clothe bandage.
Once she was done, she placed the unused supplies back into her jacket, and Rise casually commented, "You're always so prepared, and you look like you have plenty of bandages."
Naoto responded faster than she could think about the words falling from her mouth, "I tend to use a lot to help flatten my chest, so I always carry extra with me..." Her voice trailed off and a blush struck her cheeks while a grin touched Rise's lips, and Naoto sputtered, "A-anyway, we should find a way out of here!" She got to her feet in a rush, her eyes roaming around the room in an effort to avoid making eye contact with the idol.
Her mind began to turn over several ideas, many questions formulating and sending her insatiable curiosity into overdrive. "Hmm... I believe Yosuke-senpai mentioned something about having Teddie-san leave an exit TV on this side in case one of us ended up here unintentionally. Do you know where it is located?"
Rise shook her head as she replied, "No, not from here, but I can try to scan for it."
Naoto nodded whille stepping aside to give the brunette ample space. She watched Rise clasp her hands together in front of her and shut her eyes, the idol's heart calling out for the deeper power within her. "Himiko," Rise whispered with a smile. Almost immediately a bright light manifested behind her and took the tall shape of her Persona. She lowered the visor over Rise's eyes and then started to sweep their current area for information.
It was a few minutes before the brunette girl said, "I can feel it, but it's nowhere close to us so I can't pinpoint it exactly. We gotta head south from here, though."
The detective checked her revolver as she asked, "Do you sense anyone or anything around us?"
Rise's reply was immediate, "No, there's nothing. It's just us." Himiko nodded to Naoto before disappearing, and honey brown eyes met blues.
"It would make sense that Teddie-san's exit TV isn't near us, but there are several things that are bothering me... Who put us in here, why they did so, and also how. I thought that we could only enter the TV world from Inaba... The fact that we were forced here from another region could have some troubling implications..."
Rise took a step closer to the thoughtful detective as she whispered, "Like what?"
Naoto intently studied her as she answered, "This world inside of the TV is growing larger, and more lives are at risk if it is discovered." The tone of her voice drove a chill down the brunette's spine. If the expanded world was discovered, all kinds of bad things could happen... Though bad things were already happening to them. Rise recalled the terrifying expression on the girl's face when she had attacked them; it had been a contorted mix of rage, jealousy, and a twisted sort of joy. Thinking about it even now still filled the brunette with terrified feelings, but she would not hesitate to take the girl down again if she went after Naoto.
When her mind thought of the detective, Rise looked at the small detective and smiled despite everything bad that was going on. Naoto caught that smile and instantly turned away to control her blushing while she thought to herself, Stop it! This isn't the time for such ridiculous notions! It doesn't mean anything... The detective's expression hardened and she promptly walked to the door, avoiding the idol's gaze. The brunette ignored the subtle pain in her chest and followed Naoto outside.
Beyond the replicated condo, the immediate area was thick with that strange fog, making it near impossible to discern any details. Naoto reached into her jacket and drew out a familiar pair of glasses. Rise smiled when she saw them, and Naoto slipped them on as she said, "I always carry these with me wherever I go, despite the fact that I never needed them until now."
The brunette's smile grew with her reply, "That's kinda funny, because I do the same thing." She put on her own pair of glasses, and all around the thick fog faded away to reveal the resort. It was creepy and void of life, causing the two girls to feel unsettled.
Rise hadn't noticed that they had stopped walking until Naoto said, "We should start making our way to the exit TV. Who knows how long it will take us to reach it."
A nod was Rise's reply.
Slowly they started to follow the inlay rock path that would lead them to the main building of the resort, the only sounds accompanying them their own footsteps. While they walked, Rise stayed unnaturally close to Naoto. The detective would usually make a comment to gain some distance, but truthfully she was scared, too. The two were utterly alone in a silent landscape with no ideas on what would happen next, so Naoto was quietly grateful to feel the brunette's trembling hands on her arm.
The tall trees that they had passed under on their way to the condo before now seemed to loom over them with malice. Empty buildings stood here and there across the landscape, each one silently crying out in loneliness – Naoto shook herself. She was allowing her imagination to run amok, influencing her interpretations of her surroundings. The empty buildings weren't crying out in loneliness, that feeling was emitting from her heart...
"No!" she called out, for a moment not realizing that she had vocalized her dismissal outloud until Rise asked what was wrong. The shorter girl pulled off her glasses to rub her suddenly burning eyes. "Nothing..." she muttered hollowly, unwilling to meet Rise's eyes for fear that the brunette would be able to see right through her facade.
Rise didn't need to meet her gaze to know what was really wrong though, but before she could reply something lunged at her from the shadows of the trees. It struck the idol square in the chest, sending her crashing against the ground and knocking the air right out of her lungs. Naoto whirled around in surprise and came face-to-face with a Shadow she had never seen before.
It crouched low on all four limbs while letting out a grating growl and gnashing crooked teeth together in anticipation. Its shape roughly resembled the body of a hare, though its size was about as big as a grizzly bear with wicked claws to match. A spotted coat covered its sinewy body in neutral colors of grey and black while its head and limbs were snow white. Naoto drew her gun and in the same motion the Shadow released the tension in its muscles to perform a powerful leap.
The small detective went down with a cry, large claws shredding her jacket like tissue paper and ripping two gashes into her side. "P-Persona!" Naoto gasped out desperately from underneath the bulk of the Shadow's body. A bright light flashed above them, and the air hissed from a fast swipe of a thin blade. The Shadow roared in pain as Sukuna-Hikona made his mark, slicing open flesh and muscle across a hind leg. Leaping off of Naoto, the Shadow fell for the bait and was led away, giving the small girl the chance to sit up and crawl over to the gasping brunette. "Rise-san! Are you alright?"
The idol sat up, clutching her chest and still struggling to draw air, but she nodded that she was fine and gestured for Naoto to get back to the fight. Naoto winced and pressed her free hand against her bleeding side as she got to her feet, turning to watch the battle with a critical eye. She raised her revolver and held it evenly as she stepped in between Rise and the Shadow. Sukuna-Hikona drove the creature closer to the waiting detective until a shot rang out. The precisely aimed bullet tore through the monster's neck and dropped it instantly, putting the fight to a quick end.
A soft wheeze sounded from the Shadow and its body grew still, then Naoto dropped to her knees and her Persona faded away into light. She took a look at the hand that she had pressed to her side and wasn't surprised to see it soaked in her blood. Rise gasped loudly when Naoto drew her bloody hand away from the open wounds, but before she could get close, the detective said, "Quick, check around to see if there are any more surprises awaiting us." Her tone had been much sharper than she had intended, but Rise nodded all the same.
"... I should have sensed it when it got near us. I'm sorry, Naoto-kun," the brunette said while getting to her feet. The detective took shallow breaths as she waited. Himiko responded at Rise's urging, and after a few moments the idol reported, "It's the same as before. There's absolutely nothing around us."
By the time that Himiko had vanished and cleared Rise's field of vision, Naoto was completely unconscious and crumpled on the ground. Kneeling down beside the unconscious girl, Rise tenderly rolled Naoto onto her back before pulling out the detective's first-aid kit from a jacket pocket. "... I have a feeling that this won't last us very long here," the brunette said sadly while studying the tiny box in her trembling hands. She could feel tears threatening to break through but she didn't let that stop her from taking care of Naoto. Her hands began to undo the buttons on the detective's jacket as the first bitter tears rolled down her cheeks.
Episode 1 End~